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Billy Gardner

Knitted Down there, Sewn to the boundless black stitches In our white spotted blanket. Creatures, Atop brown threads Puncturing the blue. The knots inside their tops Can't unravel what's true.

Texas Tornadoes Video

No reports of injuries

Dallas police have reported that twisters have touched down in Texas. The Texas Tornadoes landed in southern Dallas and move north through the state of Texas.

Weather services issued on Tuesday said that storm spotters and radar show “large and extremely dangerous” tornadoes south of Dallas and at Fort Worth and that “considerable damage” has been reported.

The National Weather Service declared the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area under a “tornado emergency.” Those warnings are still active now.

“This is as serious of a tornado we’ve seen in years,” said CBS 11 meteorologist Larry Mowry. The twin twisters are estimated to be a half mile wide each and were believed to be on the ground for around a half hour.  A storm spotter was quoted by CBS 11 saying, “People are running frantically trying to see if people are ok.”

A CNN affiliate WFAA broadcast footage of the chaotic scene, showing semi trucks lifted up and tossed like toys. “Both storms right now are getting bigger. They both have been rotating, and they both have significant possibilities of damage on the ground heading into DFW,” said CNN’s Chad Myers. There have been no reports of major injuries as the damage is piling up.

See the raw footage of one of the Texas tornadoes below:
 

Mega Millions Mess is Mega

3 ticket holders have not come forward

A record breaking Mega Millions jackpot climbed even higher Monday after sales were totaled to $656 million, up from the originally totaled $640 million. The only catch is that no one holding any of the three tickets has come forward in what has been dubbed as the Mega Millions mess.

The three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland, will split the jackpot. Each is estimated to receive $218 million before taxes. The ticket holders have a while before they are required to come forward, in the case of Kansas, up to a year. The winner’s that are causing the Mega Millions mess could remain anonymous if they are from Maryland and Kansas, but the winner from Illinois, if they ever come forward, will be identified.

The winning numbers for the identical ticket numbers were: 2-4-23-38-46 and a Mega Ball, 23. So if you have been living under a rock since the announcement and this is the first you’ve heard, congratulations you jerk.

A Maryland woman who works at McDonalds was believed to be the winner and reported to the New York Post that she planned to come forward this past Monday. No such thing has happened yet. Lottery officials remain skeptical.

“We’ve heard it’s somebody’s cousin, we heard it’s somebody who works up the street, the guy who mows the lawn, the lady at the McDonald’s,” lottery official jokingly Carole Everett told WPTV. The Mega Millions mess has not been cleaned up and none of the claims matter until the winner’s come forward.

Cheerleader Sarah Jones pleads not guilty to sex with minor

Her mother pleads not guilty to tampering with evidence

A former Bengals Cheerleader, Sarah Jones, accused of first degree sexual abuse and her mother, a middle school principal accused of tampering with evidence, entered pleas of not guilty today.

Cheerleader Sarah Jones was the once captain of the Cincinnati Bengals Ben-Gals cheerleading squad and a former high school teacher, was accused of sexual abuse and unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual activities.

Sarah Jones’ husband and Jones are seeking to annul their marriage of nine months and currently do not live together. When asked about the allegations against Jones, husband Nathan Wilburn responded, “To be honest with you, I don’t want to talk about her.”

Cheerleader Sarah Jones’ mother, 55-year-old Cheryl Jones, pled not guilty in connection to her daughter’s case of tampering with evidence. Cheryl Jones is currently on suspension for her job as a middle school principal until authorities complete their investigation. 

Although the alleged victim’s family supports Sarah Jones, authorities have collected computers and phone records. Jefferson County Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Sarah Farmer said, “The commonwealth feels that we have sufficient proof to go forward.”

With both of the Jones’ involved with the school district, the current superintendent of Kenton Count, Terry Cox-Cruey told WCPO that they were closely monitoring the situation and that, “We all want our students to be safe.”

“Sarah has maintained her innocence,” Charles T. Lester, the lawyer for both Sarah and Cheryl Jones, released the statement. “The indictment of her mother is completely baseless. Cheryl Jones did not tamper with evidence.”

Oakland School Shooting leaves 7 dead during Oaksterdam raid

3 were hurt in the spree

Authorities say a 43-year-old former student of the small Christian school, Oikos University, in Oakland California, opened fire Monday, killing at least seven people.

Police say the man’s name was Goh and he surrendered to police custody after an hour. The police spokesperson said seven were left dead and three were hurt in what the Governor of California Jerry Brown is calling a “senseless act of violence.”

Police received a call at 10.33 a.m. of an “extremely chaotic scene,” as Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan called it.

The Korean national Goh told police that he was upset Oikos University dismissed him for a job position, prompting him for the Oakland school shooting. Police learned the seven victims of the killing spree were lined up in one classroom against the wall and were shot execution style one by one, CNN reported.

“This was a calculated, cold-blooded execution,” Jordan told CNN.

The Oakland School Shooting was a tragedy that came at the same time DEA law enforcement officials raided the Oaksterdam campus in Oakland. The university has been dubbed as the “pot university” and a warrant was given for the ongoing investigation into the school. The four U.S. attorneys in California announced back in the fall that they intended to prosecute businesses that are in violation of the 1996 ballot of medical marijuana businesses operating for a profit. Some students protested the arrival of the law enforcement and even attempted to block vehicles from entering.
 

Ryan Leaf Arrested Again For Burglary

Second time in 4 days

 

Ryan Leaf is being regarded as the biggest bust in history as an NFL quarterback and the saga only continues. Leaf has recently been arrested for burglary in his native state Montana. This arrest comes just four days after the former college star posted a $76,000 bail for the same charge.

It’s a pretty sad deal,” said Ryan Leaf’s attorney, Kenneth Olson. “Obviously, it’s a product of Ryan’s addictive behavior.”

Authorities painted a rough picture of the quarterback gone criminal who breaks into homes to steal prescription pain medication. Last Sunday in Great Falls, Montana, home owners walked into their house to find “a tall man with an athletic build” inside. The man told the couple he had the wrong address and left, but wouldn’t get away so easily after the couple realized three bottles of prescription medications were gone. The police had a good idea of who committed the crime, and after the couple identified the man in a photo lineup, Leaf was later picked up.

After searching Ryan Leaf’s residence, Police found 89 hydrocodone pills loose in a bathrobe and police believe they were the same pills from the burglarized home. After obtaining a warrant, Police took Leaf’s truck downtown in hopes of linking his GPS to multiple burglaries in the area recently.

Ryan Leaf will now remain in custody as authorities are to decide whether or not to release him again on bail or to open more charges that would keep him in custody for a violation of probation.

Samantha Koenig's Body Found at Matanuska Lake?

Police Officials hope for the best but prepare for the worst

After a crime scene investigation, Anchorage police announced Monday that a body they believe to be the missing barista Samantha Koenig, was found in Matanuska Lake after having been missing since Feb. 1.

Police Chief Mark Mew made the announcement in accordance with the FBI, “I can only reiterate and again assure you our joint decisions to not release more information were driven exclusively by our desire to maximize the potential for Samantha Koenig’s safe return,” Mew said. “Unfortunately, that potential no longer exists.”

The Anchorage medical examiner will hopefully get a positive ID on the body. Mew and the Anchorage Police Department believe that Samantha Koenig was abduction and murdered shortly there after, and assures the public that charges for the crimes are forthcoming, “Investigators believe Samantha died within hours of her abduction, and we are continuing to investigate these facts,” Mew said. “Investigators further believe the person responsible for Samantha’s death acted alone, and we are confident that we have that person in custody.”

Prior to the investigation at Matanuska Lake, police officials obtained a video from Common Grounds Espresso showing Samantha Koenig being abducted by an armed man. The Anchorage Police Department has in custody, Israel Keyes, for a federal access-device fraud char, and believes he is “the main player” in the Koenig case.
Authorities are still under the assumption, pending the positive ID of the body, that Samantha Koenig is still alive and that her abductor could still be at large.

“We would like to reiterate our request for information relative to the movement of the white pickup truck,” Mark Rook, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Anchorage Division said. “Specifically, we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the truck in the vicinity of Matanuska Lake.”

Katie Couric on Good Morning America Joking about Today

See how the day went for Today

Katie Couric is on day 2 of filling in for Robin Roberts all week on ABC’s Good Morning America.

“I had so much fun yesterday, I decided to come back,” Katie said to co-anchor George Stephanopoulos

The show was littered with references poking fun at NBC’s Today– that one show that gave her a household name as an anchor.

Today on the other end of things struggled to get the announcements and riveting show it had hoped for. Hoping to keep its 16-year run as the weekly frontrunner in morning entertainment, Matt Lauer said Ryan Seacrest will be making “a big NBC announcement.” The big info would have to wait though, Seacrest tweeted that the pain from his recent elbow surgery kept him from flying to New York to make the announcement.

The show also included Sarah Palin as a co-host next to Matt Lauer and Ann Curry but she was also lackluster. Lauer even tried to engage Palin in conversation and had to joke about her joining the “lamestream media” the term she often refers to.

Katie Couric continued her fun with ABC, taking a tour of the Time Square studio for Good Morning America. The references to the Today show only continued when she approached a wax statue outside of her former co-worker Al Roker. Katie Couric joked, “How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?”

Surely NBC hopes it will get better. See Katie Couric the rest of the week on Good Morning America.

 

Flying Car Video

Two models have been announced

Flying cars are no longer a thing of the past. The International Flying Car Association (IFCA) is expecting the announcement of two different flying cars from two different companies.

“Governments around the world have begun changing the rules of the road – and the skies – to make way for these breakthroughs,” said Winfield Keller, the Vice President of IFCA. “While, in truth, flying cars and road-able aircraft have been around for many years, the recent developments of these two major companies have revolutionized the industry and led to the possibility of both companies announcing their vehicles to the public as early as today.”

The first flying car is the PAL-V and has already been considered the lesser of both models. The car looks like a cross between a car, motorcycle, and helicopter. Once the driver has enough room the tail pops out the back and the rotors lift up- and Walla! instant helicopter.

Well actually instant gyrocopter but who knows the difference. The copter can fly as high 4,000 feet and with that avoids many of the regulations of a commercial air craft flying at 35,000 feet.

The other flying car, the Transition, designed by Terrafugia, is expected to be shown off at the New York Auto Show this year. The Transition is much more spacious than the PAL-V but both of the vehicles take regular gasoline from any pump. Over 100 people have already place a down payment of $10,000 on the flying car. That number is expected to increase after the unveiling of the flying car. It is estimated that the cost for this baby will be $279,000.

“The necessity for vehicles that relieve the ever growing strain on our world’s infrastructure and decrease demand for oil has these once exotic products becoming an essential element in the solution to our transportation needs,” said Mark Levine, President of the International Flying Car Association. “This is not simply a part of the future of transportation. This is the future of transportation.”

See the Transition:

Duggar's Family Politics for Children of All Ages

Who they support

“19 Kids and Counting” consists of Jim and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children who all have names starting with “J.” Michelle Duggar’s recent spike in media attention comes after her announcement that overpopulation is a lie. It’s amazing she has time to raise 19 children and consider herself a professional on the matter of the world population.

“Because really, the entire population of the world, if they were stood shoulder to shoulder, could fit in the city limits of Jacksonville,” she told the Christian Broadcasting Network. “So if you realize that aspect of it, you realize that we’re nowhere near being overpopulated.”

With the recent government critiques on contraception, the Duggars have received support and criticism from people on the web. POLITICO also ran on spread on the Dugger’s on going support for the ultra conservative presidential candidate Rick Santorum. Even with recent endorsements to Mitt Romney, making the demise of Santorum all too imminent, the Duggars remain resilient, “I believe the same thing will happen in Illinois. We really believe that he can beat Mitt Romney,” Duggar said. “I think it’ll be a close race.” Bob Duggar would later add, “We believe Rick Santorum stands for life. We believe the current administration and Romney don’t stand for life.”

This entire controversy was sparked shortly after the season finale aired of 19 Kids and Counting where she underwent a miscarriage with her 20th child.

Bobby Rush Video: Hoodie Speech

“Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum”

Rep. Bobby Rush sported a hoodie while presenting a speech on the House floor Wednesday. The Illinois democrat removed his suit coat and donned the hoodie in response to the slaying of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. “Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum,” he said in his speech.

The presiding officer, Mississippi Republican Gregg Harper spoke out about Bobby Rush’s attire, “the rule is,” he said, “No wearing of hats while the chamber is in session.” When Bobby Rush refused, he was removed from the floor.

“It’s a shame and it’s outrageous that he was disciplined,” Council Member James said about the incident, “And I will stand with him.”

The speech has caused media uproar in an already deafening case of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, following and killing an African American Florida teenager. Zimmerman was released from Police custody on a lack of evidence with the man claiming self-defense.

Over a million Americans signed a petition for his arrest, the New Black Panther party has put a $10,000 bounty on his head and now Bobby Rush puts his hoodie on to highlight the race problem in America. With a new video showing George Zimmerman in the police station with no signs of struggle, the protests against the night watchmen might get their wish with a pending FBI investigation. 

See the Bobby Rush speech below:

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